Coby Bell is a talented actor who has achieved recurring roles on multiple hit shows over the years and he has been gaining another group of fans with his loved role as Captain Larry James on The CW’s Walker update which stars Jared Padalecki. As last week’s episode “Where Do We Go From Here?” ended, we saw Captain James shot, and now, the battle will be on for his survival in this week’s show which is called “Two Points for Honesty.” (See pictures from the episode HERE).
KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne was able to speak with Coby Bell about tonight’s episode and what might be coming up in the future for the series. Be warned, some minor spoilers may be discussed within! Enjoy:
COBY BELL: We find Captain James shot and on the ground. It picks up right where 207 leaves off, with the gun battle that ensues, and Trey coming in to the rescue and using his military training to get Captain James to the hospital, and then it goes on from there, with Captain James in critical condition, with everybody sort of coming together to be at the hospital to sort of watch over him.
Can you talk about how Captain James’ situation affects Walker himself?
With Captain James unable to do his duties, Walker has to step in and do them, so he’s Acting Captain for the episode, which is a big deal for him and something that he wasn’t expecting. It’s something that he’s not doesn’t feel like he’s ready for, and I don’t think Larry thinks he’s ready for it either, but he doesn’t really have a choice with with Micki being gone. I think Micki probably would have been the logical choice, because she was a little more level headed, but I think Cordell does surprisingly well.
Do you think Walker’s added responsibility shows about how he has changed as a character since the series started?
Absolutely, and that’s a lot of what the show is about. It’s about him trying to grow as a person, and trying to grow as a as a law enforcement officer. Larry’s whole thing is trying to change the way things are done, and Cordell is fully on board with that, or by the end Season 1 he’s fully on board with that. I think Walker’s changed more than Larry gives him credit for.
Do you think it’s good that Walker and Captain James have such different approaches?
I think so, and I think that’s what what made them work as partners. They fought all the time, but they pushed each other in the direction that they needed to be pushed, and they brought the best in each other. I think they still do that, but it works.
Will we ever see a flashback to when Walker and Larry first were working together?
I hope so. Maybe not when they first were — I mean, I don’t know. You’d have to ask Anna [Fricke] and the writing team that. They always do such a good job of all those kinds of things. But yeah, I would love to see that. I would love to see what their relationship was like before Larry was also his boss, back when he was more of a big brother and a mentor.
What can you say about Larry’s ex-wife who we meet in this episode?
I thought it was really cool to finally meet that character. I thought Kearren Giovanni came in and did a great job. It felt like she always been there. She understood the history of these two characters, and we just jumped right into it. It’s obvious that they still care for each other and there’s still affection. There also still may be a spark there that was reintroduced by this by this traumatic event.
I personally would love to see that. But again, you’d have to talk to Anna about that. Fair. I know there are rules about how long you have to be a trooper before you can be a Ranger, but it’s also TV, so, you know. [Laughs]
Jeff [Pierre] is such a good dude, such a good actor… I feel like that would be a cool thing to see. But we’ll see. I don’t know. Who knows what they have in store for him, but whatever it is, it’s gonna be great.
When you read last week’s script and saw that Larry would be shot, did you personally think you knew who did it?
No, no, I did not. Not until it’s revealed.
You’ve had a number of iconic roles on TV, and I know you recently came back to the game for a little bit, but is there another character that you would love to revisit at some point?
I feel very lucky to be able to jump back in and still play Jason Pitts every now and again. He’s such a fun character to play [on The Game.] I’ve been extremely lucky, getting on shows that have long runs, ever since I’ve been in my twenties.
Towards the end of Burn Notice, there was some talk of spin off with me and Bruce Campbell, which didn’t end up happening, but it would have been a blast.
Right now, I’m so happy to be a part of Walker. It’s really been a dream job, just not only from the stuff the writers have given me to do on screen, but just the fun that we have and the vibe that we have on set. It’s just awesome. From Jared being the star of the show, and also the executive producer, and then all the way down. It’s just good times. That’s sometimes it’s hard to come by, so I really appreciate it when I’m in that situation.
How do you like filming in Austin?
Austin’s great. I mean, I would love to be filming closer to my wife and kids, so I just fly all the time. I’ll fly back and forth sometimes twice a week. Right now, I’m home in California. I’m constantly flying. But Austin as a as a great city. Cool people.
And the crew! This is a lot of the same crew going all the way back to Friday Night Lights. So, these men and women have been together for a long time, and they are not only just fun to work with, but there’s so good, and they’re so efficient. It just…. I know I already said it, but it really is a dream job. Ask anybody that has anything to do with Walker, they’ll say that it doesn’t get any better than this. We’re having a great time.
Do you have anything to say to the fans who might worry that Larry might not make it?
Well, I guess that’s spoiling it… but since I’m talking to you now, I think it’s safe to say that I make it. We can’t be losing all sorts of characters all at once. You know, I mean, we already lost Lindsey which is painful enough. I don’t know what to say… I just hope they enjoy it. I think it’s a really good episode. Blythe Johnson wrote this one, and she knocked it out of the park. Bosede Williams, the director, I thoroughly enjoy working with her. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it.
What are you most excited about for the rest of the season?
I can’t wait to see how it all plays out with the Walkers and the Davidsons, and that feud. And then Liam… as far as everyone in the show is concerned, he’s screwing up… but the audience knows that he’s on to something, so I can’t wait to see him get his redemption.
Do you have anything else to say to the fans will be reading this?
Thank you guys so much for watching the show and making it as successful as it’s been.
A trailer for “Two Points for Honesty” can be found below… again, photos from the episode can be found here.
